Unions Unite Against Asbestos

NATIONAL TRADE UNION FORUM ON
ASBESTOS BAN CAMPAIGN
Quezon City, 05 March 2009

JOINT COMMUNIQUÉ

PREAMBLE

We, national centers/unions, federations and Global Union Federation (GUF) affiliates representing the labor sector, believe that Filipino workers should enjoy full protection, including safe and healthful working conditions, afforded by the Philippine Constitution and the Labor Code, so they and their families can enjoy the fruits of their labor for national development and sustained productive workforce.

We gather at Imperial Palace Suites, Quezon City on 05 March 2009 to unite in a sustained campaign against asbestos and asbestos-containing products, use our individual and collective strengths to do concrete actions at national, legislative, policy and workplace levels towards asbestos ban and asbestos-related health monitoring in the Philippines.

We call on workers and the Filipino people to support efforts and initiatives to ban asbestos and eliminate asbestos hazards to human health and environment through Congress and government agencies, and protect people with past and current exposures to asbestos.

In solidarity, we join hands in pushing for asbestos ban and commit to:

INTENSIFY CAMPAIGN FOR THE PASSAGE OF A LAW

We support the passage of pending bills in both Chambers of Congress to ban the importation, manufacture, processing or use of all types of asbestos and asbestos-containing products through:

1. Advocacy meetings with legislators
o Authors of the bills
o Committee Chairs and/or their staff
o Committee Members
o Other legislators, possible sponsors

2. Participation in committee hearings

We urge the President to certify the bills as urgent. We call on legislators to support this cause.

ESTABLISH A NETWORK OF TRADE UNIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE ASBESTOS BAN

The issue affects workers and their families, whether they are organized or not, or regardless of their union affiliation. We agree to work together to ban asbestos and eliminate asbestos-related diseases by:

1. Forming a trade union network
2. Identifying union volunteers and training them to help in the campaign
3. Participating regularly in letter, fax, email and internet campaigns
4. Leading advocacy meetings with lawmakers, government agencies, other stakeholders
5. Negotiating for the asbestos ban and safety provisions in CBAs (collective bargaining agreements).

We urge other unions to join the network and participate in the aforementioned activities.

ENGAGE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

We ask the government to improve health, safety and working conditions standards related to asbestos, and improve compliance with such standards. We will push agencies for an active asbestos-protection policy within their mandates:

1. Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for effective implementation of the Chemical Control Order (CCO) for Asbestos and inspection of companies engaged with asbestos under its registry

2. Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (CIAP) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for a clearer policy on asbestos products in the building and construction industry

3. Bureau of Product Standards (BPS) of the DTI for issuance of asbestos product standards and appropriate asbestos-containing product labeling

4. Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and/or Local Government Units (LGUs) for issuance of standards and permits in construction and demolition of buildings with asbestos products and materials

5. Bureau of Working Conditions (BWC) and/or Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC) of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for inspection of companies under EMB’s registry, and improvement of standards in asbestos-exposed workplaces

6. DOH to develop a standard/protocol on dealing with asbestos-related diseases and capacitate occupational physicians and nurses as assessing asbestos-related diseases

We support targeting agencies or LGUs as pilots for the issuance of asbestos protection policy directives, possibly related to the construction and building industry, through an inter-agency approach.

We call on the government to develop a national program on the monitoring and elimination of the incidence of asbestos-related diseases based on the ILO/WHO outline through an inter-agency consultation.

WORK FOR MONITORING OF WORKERS EXPOSED TO ASBESTOS

We push for the establishment of a central registry and medical surveillance of workers with past and current exposures to monitor and improve their health and working conditions by:

1. Identifying companies under the registry of EMB-DENR
2. Coordinating the orientation/training of safety officers from identified companies
3. Supporting the conduct of a survey on health and working conditions of workers
4. Identifying local unions with members exposed to asbestos
5. Facilitating medical check ups and building of list of union members exposed to asbestos
6. Engaging victims’ associations in the campaign

CONDUCT PUBLIC/INFORMATION CAMPAIGN

We will educate workers and their unions, the public, legislators and concerned agencies on the hazards of asbestos and push them to take action on the issue. We commit to use various venues to reach specific target recipients of information:

1. Enterprise level meetings/signature campaigns
2. Press conferences and press releases/statements
3. Mass public information campaign through print media
4. IEC materials such as leaflets
5. Internet/email campaigns through existing union web sites
6. Other unions’ own internet/email campaigns
7. Print and broadcast media on the human face of the issue
8. A dedicated web site

MONITORING OF COMMITMENTS

We commit to monitor the progress and implementation of these commitments through periodic evaluation and strategy meetings.

A Technical Working Group shall be established to monitor developments in these commitments and help plan future activities.

Signed this 5th day of March 2009 at Imperial Palace Suites, Quezon City, Republic of the Philippines.

NAME OF PARTICIPATING LABOR ORGANIZATIONS / GLOBAL UNION FEDERATIONS

1.Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP)
2.Associated Labor Unions (ALU-TUCP)
3.Building and Woodworkers International (BWI)
4.Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL)
5.Association of Marine Officers and Seafarers Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP)
6.Association Professional, Supervisory and Technical Employees Unions (APSOTEU-TUCP)
7.Automotive Industry Workers Alliance (AIWA)
8.Federation of Free workers (FFW)
9.National Labor Union (NLU)
10.Philippine Government Employees Association (PGEA-TUCP)
11.Philippine Metal Alliance (PMA)
12.Philippine Transport and General Workers Organization (PTGWO-TUCP)
13.Trade Unions of the Philippines and Allied Services (TUPAS)
14.Union Network International – Philippine Labor Council (UNI-PLC)